The East Valley Mermaid in Manzanita, OR by Bettina de Leonbarrera (Winner of the 2025 Online Poetry Contest)
The East Valley Mermaid in Manzanita, OR
“I must be a mermaid, Rango...”
— Anaïs Nin
I’m aware of my world—
love alleys and break-up songs,
petite boyfriends and supernatural kisses
like stars with endless gods
who may whisper into thy gifted ears,
Ancient Mamita, you’re my favorite—
human strand geodesic brown survivalist
along Brookings and Manzanita—
after-hours season
where grey whales and ship containers,
runaway Surfriders
soar into the blue froth,
and nobody enjoys the paranormal skies more than—
obituaries and outdated café gossip
where once ago, you rested upon a heath
of sea pink near the bluff
where lovers still—
co-sign their lives
to the weapons of their times
amidst the non-locals and halftime moons,
antediluvian webbed feet
impressed Earth with disaffections
so that some of us may exit earlier
into lacey super consciousness.
Today, the craze in sea creatures is often—
stamina, and the usual burglary showoffs
who profit from starfish paraphernalia,
reward war culture,
parlor shops and coral wreaths
parts of ocean drifts—
dreamworld grip
anonymous bulk where peace is not here.
Of love alleys and break-up songs,
marine mammal shows
where flippers are capable of knocking
you down under
zoological reefs
where you don’t stand a chance.
Of one thing I’m certain—
I knew of you in the Galápagos.
About the Author
B. de leonbarrera is a bilingual poet born in Los Angeles, California of Guatemalan descent. She attributes her writing to her ancestors, both physical and non-physical, who relay(ed) legends and phantasmagoric stories which captured her imagination. She, along with her partner own a small family business in Portland, OR. Her poetry can be found in New American Writing, The Santa Clara Review, The North American Review and others.